


Astronaut Reunion

by allislaughter



Series: Copper Wires [7]
Category: The LEGO Movie (2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-24
Updated: 2014-07-15
Packaged: 2018-02-06 00:23:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1837588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allislaughter/pseuds/allislaughter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The 1980s-something Astronauts are having a reunion, and Benny invites GCBC to visit with him. The awkwardness leads GCBC to finding out more about the blue spaceman's history and just why Benny acts the way he does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Invitation

**Author's Note:**

> Copper Wires has been a series rather than one story of one-shots just for this reason: the chapter fics that occur along with the one-shots. Welcome to the first chapter fic of the series, and enjoy.

Bad Cop lay on his back and panted, reaching up to wipe sweat from his brow. He looked over at Benny, frowning at him. "Are we done?" he asked.

Benny nodded, smiling at him and laughing. "Yeah, for today. You know, you actually went a little… Overboard."

He scowled and sat up. "Well, why didn't you stop me?" he demanded, furrowing his brow at the spaceman.

Shrugging, Benny held out his hand to pull Bad Cop to his feet. "It was funny seeing you try to do so many sit-ups, and you weren't going to hurt yourself doing them so I didn't bother." He handed Bad Cop a towel and grinned. "Shower's through there. You're really sweaty."

"Whose fault is that?" Bad Cop mumbled. "Is this really an astronaut training regime?"

"Heck no!" Benny laughed. "We're totally skipping the science part of that since you're not part of the actual space program. I'm just winging it for what I think you should do to make sure you don't get sick in space, dude."

Bad Cop groaned. "Fine. I'll be right out." He grabbed his bag and went to the shower, glancing around at his environment before setting his sunglasses on the counter.

Good Cop followed suit with his glasses and hummed. "I think it's going well," he laughed as he started the water.

"Then _you_ do it next time," Bad Cop mumbled as he stepped under the freezing stream.

_"But you_ were _having so much fun, like Benny said,"_ Good Cop teased. _"We'll be in space in no time."_

"Yeah, yeah…" Bad Cop hurried to clean and dry himself and get in fresh clothes. He then wandered out through Benny's home in search for the astronaut. He frowned when he couldn't find Benny in any of his usual places. "Benny?" Good Cop called out.

At that moment, Benny burst through the airlock and held an envelope over his head. "I got a LETTER!" he exclaimed, eyes bright in excitement.

"A letter?" Good Cop asked.

"A LETTER," Benny answered. "I don't get letters anymore, this is _awesome_. And it looks like it's from Penny, too- Aw man, I haven't heard from her in _years_."

"What's it say?" Bad Cop asked.

"Uh…" Benny set the letter aside and hurried out of his suit before he picked up the envelope again to open it. "Let's see… Oh! Cool! They're having a reunion for the 1980s something astronauts out at a lodge somewhere and I'm invited. Think I should go?"

"Why not?" Good Cop asked, shrugging.

"Well the last reunion I went to got a little…" Benny trailed off, pulling a face, and then shrugged as well. "Aw, what the heck, I'll go. She wants me to RSVP, though. Just a moment…" Benny offered the letter for Good Cop to look over while he dug through the pocket on the outside of his spacesuit for his cell phone.

Good Cop hummed as he read the invitation and the details of the lodge, but he then suddenly frowned and gazed up at Benny and motioned to the paper. "Benny, this lodge is 50 miles away."

Benny shrugged nonchalantly, reaching out for the letter. "It's fine, I'll just take a spaceship-."

Bad Cop held the invitation out of reach. "You are _not_ taking a spaceship there," he ordered. "It's in the middle of a forest."

"Oh…" Benny tapped his fingers on the outside of his phone, wrinkling his nose as he thought about it. "How am I supposed to get there, then…?"

"I could take you!" Good Cop offered. Bad Cop frowned. "I'll drop you off and pick you up after." Good Cop smiled nervously. "Unless you think I could come as a guest…" Bad Cop shook his head. "No, I'll just drop you off." Good Cop frowned. "But I…" Bad Cop scowled. "No."

"You done?" Benny asked. Bad Cop nodded and handed Benny the letter again. Benny found the RSVP number and dialed his phone. After a moment, he smiled. "Penny! It's Benny! ...Haha, yeah, I know, I actually got a cell phone now. A buddy of mine gave it to me. ...Yes. ...No. ...NO. Penny! ...Yeah, that's what I'm calling about. I'll be there, but, uh… Can I bring a guest?"

Bad Cop frowned and ignored the soft cheering in the back of his mind. "Benny…"

"Yeah, I want to bring him in space with me some time, so I thought it'd be good for him to meet some astronauts besides me first," Benny laughed. "Great! See you then!" Benny flipped the phone shut and beamed at Bad Cop.

"Benny…" Bad Cop repeated, scowling.

Benny's smile slowly disappeared and he cleared his throat. "Well, I dunno, the other guy seemed really into the idea. It's just for a few days next month, c'mon…"

"We'll be happy to go," Good Cop assured him. "Both of us. Bad Cop will get over it, don't worry."

"Well, that's good then…" Benny rocked on his heels and then grinned. "Want to get some food? I have some not space stuff for you since you'll be coming over more often for space training."

"Fine…" Bad Cop sighed, following Benny into the kitchen.


	2. 'Enny More Space Guys?

A month later, Bad Cop grumbled quietly as he drove out of the city, Benny sitting next to him and belting out along to the 80s songs CD Good Cop had the sense to make for the trip.

_"Thanks a lot,"_ Bad Cop thought bitterly.

_"Well he's…"_ Good Cop hesitated. _"Passionate about singing…"_

_"He's not that good,"_ Bad Cop insisted.

_"No, he's not,"_ Good Cop agreed. _"We're almost there, at least…"_

Bad Cop nodded and quickly turned off the CD player as soon as the current song ended. "We're going to be there soon," he told Benny. "Could you stop singing for the rest of the trip?"

Benny nodded and grinned at him. "You know how weird you are?"

"What?" Bad Cop asked, glancing at him in confusion before focusing on the road again.

"Most people would have told me to stop sooner," Benny laughed. "I was waiting to see when you'd tell me that."

Bad Cop tapped his steering wheel, staring at the road for a long moment before uttering a small "Oh…" He frowned and glanced at Benny again. "So, what, can you actually sing or…?"

"Nah, I suck at singing," Benny answered, shaking his head with a grin. "What about you?"

"I sing sometimes…" Bad Cop mumbled.

"Any good?"

"We're here," Bad Cop answered, pulling up to the lodge. He left the car before Benny could question him further and went to the trunk for their bags. He pulled Benny's blue duffel bag over his shoulder and grabbed his pink suitcase before closing the trunk.

Benny met him behind the car, frowning, and Good Cop smiled sheepishly at him. Benny rolled his eyes and just led him inside the lodge where they directed him to the correct cabin before he even said anything. He chuckled and winked at Good Cop as they went to the cabin. "I think this means the others are in their spacesuits as well."

"Why?" Bad Cop asked.

"Why not?" Benny countered. He looked ahead and waved vigorously at a woman in a black spacesuit without its helmet. "Penny!" he shouted.

The woman looked over and waved back. "Benny!" she shouted in return.

As Benny and Bad Cop approached, another pair people in spacesuits poured out of the cabin, not wearing their helmets like Penny, one in red and the other in white. The two of them pulled disgusted looks as they approached.

"You!" the one in red called pointing at Bad Cop. "What are YOU doing here?"

"Ohhh, right," Benny winced. "Kenny and Lenny are…"

"Master Builders," Bad Cop groaned. "You could have warned me."

Penny sighed and shook her head. "Kenny, I'm pretty sure that's Benny's guest."

"What?" Kenny asked, frowning at Benny. "Blu, are you…"

The one in white interrupted quickly "Sure he's okay now? After what happened before…"

Benny rolled his eyes and nodded. "Of course I'm sure. I wouldn't have brought him if he were still trying to arrest us."

"Lenny?" Bad Cop asked the astronaut in white. When he received a nod, he continued. "Weren't you and Kenny two of the ones who escaped capture completely?"

"Yes," Kenny answered, wrapping his arm around Lenny protectively.

Good Cop smiled apologetically. "You don't need to worry, buddy, I'm not going to do anything."

"Anyway!" Penny interrupted. "I'm Penny, that's Kenny and Lenny. And you are…?"

"Good Cop," Good Cop answered. Bad Cop switched in and muttered "Bad Cop… I'm, uh… _Sorry_ about before." He looked over at Kenny and Lenny who sighed and walked back into the cabin.

"I'll take you two to your room in the cabin," Penny said. "So you can drop off your things. Blu, it's good you brought a guest. I was worried you'd have to have a room by yourself this time."

"Why?" Benny asked as he followed Penny in. "Who are you sharing a room with?"

"That'd be me," a woman in a yellow spacesuit, minus helmet like the others, answered, walking up to them as they entered.

"Jenny!" Benny cried, grinning from ear to ear as he dived in to hug her. "You didn't go to the last reunion I went to!"

Jenny nodded and hugged Benny back. "Well we can actually have another one of these reunions now that you, Red, and White aren't in hiding anymore. Whatever happened to that Jerk Cop who was chasing you three down anyway?"

Bad Cop cleared his throat and nodded politely as Jenny immediately let go of Benny. "Hello, ma'am," he greeted on a nervous bounce.

Jenny smiled meekly and struggled to answer for a moment before she decided on her words. "Now, when I say 'jerk cop'…"

Penny elbowed Jenny in her arm, smirking as she shook her head. "Great job, Yellow, you just insulted Blu's boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend," Benny frowned, scrunching up his nose.

"He's going to take him into space with him," Penny continued to tease.

Jenny laughed. "Is he now?"

Bad Cop cringed. "Excuse me, could I set these things down somewhere…?"

"Room's through that door," Penny told him, pointing to a door.

"Thank you," Good Cop chimed, waving as he hurried into the room. He glanced around and rolled his eyes. _"There's two beds,"_ he told his other self. _"You can relax. At least we won't be here that long, right buddy?"_

_"You're the one who wanted to come here,"_ Bad Cop answered. _"You stay out."_

Good Cop sighed and set his suitcase on one bed and Benny's bag on the other. _"You're just being shy. They were just teasing."_

_"What about the Master Builders?"_

They both stayed silent for a long moment. _"Maybe I should stay out,"_ Good Cop thought at last. _"For now."_

"Cops?" Benny called from the main room.

"Coming," Good Cop called back. Perhaps this would be a long few days after all.


	3. Marshmallows and Campfires

The six of them sat around a campfire that evening, passing around marshmallows, both ones affected by gravity and some that were floating. Good Cop picked one out of the air and bit into it, noticing out of the corner of his eye Penny on his right flicking one in his direction, and he leaned back out of the way and watched it pass by. Kenny and Lenny sat across from him on the other side of the fire, roasting their marshmallows, and Jenny sat to his left. She caught the marshmallow Penny had sent over before it floated out of reach.

"Jenny," Benny said, landing on the woman's shoulders, though his weight or lack thereof didn't bother her at all. "The Cops and I saw that episode of 'Throw the Brick at Him' that you were in."

"Yellow, dearie, you didn't say you were on a TV show," Penny laughed.

"I thought you knew," Jenny argued. "You're the director of space technology at the same place as the training center, and you know they filmed it there."

"We didn't know," Kenny said, raising his hand. "You could have…"

"Told us sooner," Lenny laughed. "Red, do we have chocolate or graham crackers?"

"You were supposed to bring those, White."

"Darn..." Lenny pouted and watched as his marshmallow melted and fell off the stick into the fire. "...Darn it."

Kenny sighed and grabbed a new marshmallow for him, which he gratefully accepted.

"So," Good Cop spoke up. "Your names all rhyme and you call each other by the color of your suits?"

"More than that," Penny answered, shaking her head while giggling. "I'm Penelope 'Black' Mack."

"Jennifer 'Yellow' Fellow," Jenny added.

"Kenneth 'Red' Head and Leonard 'White' Wright," Kenny continued.

They looked at Benny who grinned, almost nervously, and took a seat next to Good Cop. "Uh… I'm… Uh…"

"Benjamin 'Blu' Chu," Lenny interrupted. "Though we leave off the E on Blue for some reason for him."

"Yeah, what he said," Benny answered.

Good Cop frowned at the grateful look Benny sent Lenny. _"Embarrassed?"_ he asked Bad Cop who didn't give an answer.

"What about you?" Penny asked him. "You have a real name?"

"Oh, I…" Good Cop shrugged. "I don't go by it. You can just call me Good Cop, or Cops like Benny does."

"So what has everyone been up to lately?" Jenny asked. "I'm in charge of the Astronaut Training Center, and I was in a police drama. Black's the director of Space Technology section."

"Lenny and I…" Kenny frowned a moment and looked over at Good Cop. "Promise not to track us down and arrest us?"

"I don't do that anymore," Good Cop told him. "Well, not unless you do something illegal, but I'm sure you wouldn't, right buddy?"

Kenny didn't answer. "Anyway, Lenny and I still have our moonbase. We've been doing some experiments when we're not at Master Builder meetings."

"Oh, I bet," Penny laughed. "Experiments like…"

"Not those kind," Lenny insisted. "Science experiments. We can send you the data if you want."

"I, uh…" Benny shrugged. "I helped save the world, I guess."

"How did you do that, again?" Jenny asked, looking over at Benny. "I heard you built a spaceship?"

Benny beamed happily and nodded vigorously. "Yep! It was the best one yet too, omigosh, you should see it. Bad Cop didn't let me take it here though, so he gave me a ride instead."

"Ben, buddy, you should think about making spaceships for us," Penny laughed. "We could really use some unique designs for some missions."

"I'll think about it." Benny grabbed a pair of marshmallows from the air and handed one to Good Cop.

Bad Cop shook his head and pushed the marshmallow away. "No thank you, Benny." Good Cop tried to reach for it again, but Bad Cop switched in again. "You can't let Good Cop have so many," Bad Cop sighed. "He already ate half a bag, and _I'll_ be the one regretting it later."

"Why didn't you stop him sooner?" Benny asked, frowning at him. "We haven't seen you since this morning."

"I bet Red and White scared him off," Penny laughed.

"Or you calling him Blu's boyfriend," Kenny countered.

"Both," Good Cop answered, laughing. "Quiet, you," Bad Cop muttered to the side.

"I'm sure they'll behave now, right?" Jenny asked, giving the others a stern look. She flexed her hands and sighed. "I think I'll change into casual clothing again for tomorrow. I don't get how you boys can wear your spacesuits all the time, even on Earth."

Bad Cop felt a small thump next to him and he glanced over and noticed Benny had shrunk by an inch.

"Hey, Lenny and I go into space all the time," Kenny argued. "So we're used to it. At least we all took off our helmets for now, unlike Blu."

"Shh," Lenny hushed Kenny before the two of them flinched and avoided Benny's gaze.

"Why _are_ you wearing that broken helmet anyway?" Jenny asked before glancing up to see Penny motion for her to stop. "Or, um… Right, never mind."

Benny laughed nervously and glanced around at them. "What- What are you…? Look, you don't have to… Uh…"

"So!" Penny stood up and grinned. "Great first night! Let's get some shut eye, and we can talk again tomorrow!"

"Yes, great, good night!" Kenny waved and then grabbed Lenny's hand, and the two of them rushed back into the cabin.

"You two go ahead back in," Jenny told Benny and Bad Cop. "Penny and I will clean up here."

Bad Cop furrowed his brow. "Wait a moment…"

Benny shook his head. "Bad Cop, come on, let's go…"

Sighing, Bad Cop stood and followed Benny.

"Can you even see in the dark with those sunglasses?" Benny asked him.

"I can see enough to get back to the cabin," Bad Cop assured him.

"Well, I'm ready to get some sleep," Benny sighed. He chuckled and held open the door for Bad Cop. "What do you think of them so far?"

"They're…" Bad Cop glanced back at the campfire and then at Benny again. "Alright..."

"Yeah…" Benny smiled and shrugged. "Well, I'm going straight to bed. Did you want to stay up a little longer?"

Bad Cop nodded. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay. Night, Cops."

"Good night, Benny," Good Cop replied, smiling at him. Once Benny disappeared behind their bedroom door, Bad Cop frowned and went to the kitchenette for a glass of water.

"The one thing I told you not to talk about," Penny hissed as she walked back through the door. "And you bring it up on the first night."

"Look, I'm sorry," Jenny sighed. "I wasn't there for the accident, and I wasn't there for the last reunion he went to, so how was I supposed to…"

Bad Cop cleared his throat. "Care to tell me what accident you're talking about?"

Penny and Jenny both flinched. Penny glanced at Jenny and motioned for her to put away the marshmallows while she waved Bad Cop over to the sitting area.

Bad Cop sat across from Penny and waited patiently.

Penny took a deep breath and answered, "I don't really know what happened." She grinned and stood up. "Good night!" She sped away to her room without another word.

Bad Cop stood quickly and stared after her and then groaned, resisting his urge to kick the chair he had been sitting in. Good Cop sighed and looked up at Jenny.

"Would anyone know?" he asked her. "If it's about Benny…"

Jenny closed the cupboard and watched Good Cop carefully. She dropped her shoulders and nodded. "I was on a different mission when it happened and didn't hear about it right away… But Kenny and Lenny were on that same mission with him. You could ask them, though they might not want to tell you anything either."

Good Cop shook his head. "Don't worry about that." Bad Cop scowled and made a fist. "I know just how to make people talk…"

"Just don't do it in front of Blu," Jenny told him. "I didn't realize how much he… He's a _lot_ different than when I last saw him, before it happened, let's just say that…"

"Alright…" Bad Cop frowned. Good Cop smiled and waved. "Good night, ma'am."

"Good night…"

Good Cop shut the bedroom door behind him quietly. He could see Benny through the light of the moon pouring through their window, already fast asleep and curled up beneath the covers, still in his spacesuit but firmly against the pillow instead of floating this time. He smiled at him and quietly changed into pajamas before crawling into his own bed, setting his glasses on the ground, out of the way. Bad Cop set his next to them and pulled the blanket over himself.

 _"Good night, Bad Cop,"_ his other self told him.

Bad Cop sighed, letting his eyes shut. _"...Night, Good Cop,"_ he finally thought in response.


	4. Reminiscing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus points if you can catch the references to one of my other fandoms in this chapter.

"Incoming fruit!"

Bad Cop caught the apple thrown his way, and watched as the others caught the fruit Penny threw at them.

"Scones or waffles?" she asked next, lifting the packages from a box.

Kenny groaned and shook his head at her. "Penny, did you bring us _space food_ to eat?" he asked.

"What's wrong with space food?" Benny frowned.

Bad Cop shook his head as well. "Benny, we really need to get you on a better diet."

Benny stuck his tongue out at him and then grinned at Penny. "I vote waffles!"

"Waffles," Lenny agreed.

"Red, I brought cereal and milk if you want that," Jenny shrugged.

"Oh, please," Kenny said, getting up. "Which cabinet?"

"Please tell me you have normal coffee," Bad Cop asked, standing as well.

Jenny nodded. "On the far right. Milk's in the fridge. Coffee maker is in the bottom cabinet on the same side."

"We're in a cabin and you brought a coffee maker," Penny sighed, shaking her head. "Good thing this place has electricity."

They bustled about with their breakfast, eating and talking and sharing jokes, though Bad Cop let Good Cop handle most of the humor. After cleaning up, they lounged around the sitting area while Penny listed things they could do.

"There's nature trails, a lake we could swim in, I think there's a band performing in the common area today, or we could just hang around the fire pit again and tell stories about the good old days like the old people we are."

"How are you all older than me?" Bad Cop mumbled. "Is there something in that space food that keeps you young? Have none of you aged since the 80s?"

"That will stay a mystery forever," Penny laughed. "But, seriously, we're having an 80s something astronaut team reunion, so what do you guys want to do?"

"Let's just hang out," Lenny offered. "This is the first time all of us spent time together since before we were all sent on separate missions."

"To the fire pit, then," Penny nodded. She got up and led the way out of the door, the others following closely behind.

Bad Cop lingered behind the rest and Benny stopped in the doorway to motion for him to come as well. Good Cop smiled and hurried out after them, and they all took the same seats as the night before.

"Remember how Red and White used to hate each other?" Jenny laughed.

"We did not!" Kenny argued.

Lenny shrugged. "Well we _did_ compete a lot back during training."

"Blu had to yell at you guys a few times so you'd stop being stupid trying to top each other," Penny added.

Benny smiled, though he looked unsure, and he didn't say anything to add onto it. Good Cop looked down at Benny and lifted his brow in curiosity.

"I bet you two still try to top each other, though," Penny smirked as she winked at Kenny and Lenny.

"Black, shut up," Kenny groaned.

"Isn't that how you two became Master Builders?" Jenny asked. "You were trying to beat each other when building things?"

Kenny and Lenny glanced at Good Cop almost nervously, and Bad Cop frowned at them. Kenny looked away and smiled.

"Hey, remember our first space mission together?" he asked. "On the moon?"

"Do you mean the first time for you, me, and White?" Jenny asked. "Or the next time when Blu and Black joined us?"

"The next time," Kenny answered. "And that's when we noticed how the space program matched up our suit colors, after seeing everyone in them the first time."

"Blu was especially annoyed," Lenny laughed. "Right, Blu?"

Benny blinked a few times and glanced at Bad Cop who had his brow raised at him. He chuckled nervously and looked back at Lenny. "I… I was…?"

"You don't remember that?" Penny questioned.

"I remember the Space Dart I," Benny shrugged. "And Kenny's Tri-Star Voyager."

"Are those spaceships?" Bad Cop asked.

The others glanced at each other and Benny shrank in on himself. Bad Cop knitted his brow together and watched them.

"Well," Jenny spoke up, smiling in her attempt to change the subject. "What about when you three did that mission out in the Kavhopi Sector?" she asked, motioning to Kenny, Lenny, and Penny.

"Wait, no, I remember the Kavhopi Sector," Benny broke in. "Penny wasn't there… Was she?"

"That was a…" Kenny looked at Lenny for help.

"A later mission," Lenny finished. "After you were…" He trailed off and grinned at Jenny. "Hey, Jen, what about when you were out on that moon of Sentilla VI?"

"Oh, that last mission where I took the Lunar Patrol Craft?" she asked. She glanced at Bad Cop. "Or the Xenon X-Wing, as you might remember from that TV episode."

"Oh, I never got to hear about that," Benny smiled, turning towards Jenny to listen closely.

Jenny smiled back. "Well, I got there and…"

As she began to tell her story, Bad Cop noticed Kenny and Lenny whispering something to each other before they slipped away without the other astronauts noticing. Bad Cop glanced at Benny, seeing that he was completely enthralled with Jenny's story. Bad Cop sneaked away as well, with only Penny sending him a thumbs up for good luck as he left.

He stopped on the side wall of the cabin, glancing around the back to make sure Kenny and Lenny were there, and he then stepped in full sight. "Hey!" he shouted at the two of them.

Kenny and Lenny looked up in fear, and Lenny stepped in front of Kenny protectively.

Bad Cop took a step closer, and they took a matching step back. "Look, don't make this hard," he growled. "I just want some answers, and I need you to give them to me."

"What kind of answers?" Kenny demanded.

Good Cop frowned, furrowing his brow in concerned. "I just want to know what happened to Benny… Miss Fellow said he was different before, and they mentioned an accident…"

Lenny and Kenny shared a glance and then they each sighed.

"Alright," Kenny answered. "We'll tell you what we know."

"Inside," Lenny continued. "But don't get mad at us if you don't like it…"


	5. Story Time

Once the three of them were seated, they sat in uncomfortable silence, waiting for one of the others to speak first. Lenny nudged Kenny who groaned and then began the story.

"Ben used to be a _lot_ more serious," he started. "Real no-nonsense guy. Sense of humor like a brick." He smiled and shook his head. "But that made him a good leader, like Jenny, and so since Jenny was out on the Sentilla VI mission, Ben was in charge of _our_ mission in the Kavhopi Sector.

"The Kavhopi mission had different kinds of jobs for us to do each day. Some jobs, we worked as a team, some we worked solo. But usually, there were jobs where one of us worked solo and the other two worked together." Kenny glanced at Lenny and sighed before focusing on Bad Cop again. "Lenny and I got along better by then, so we usually took those jobs where we paired up, and Benny was happy to do the solo work as long as we made sure to get our work done by the end of the day.

"One day, though, Lenny and I got back from our project, and Ben was nowhere to be found." He hesitated for a moment but soon after picked up the story. "It wasn't like him to be late without notice, and his companion robot didn't report anything about it. We went out looking for him, and…" He trailed off, shaking his head.

Lenny sighed and continued for him. "We found Benny, almost unconscious and definitely loopy. Somehow, he had a huge crack in his helmet and he would have died from oxygen loss if we hadn't gotten there in time."

Kenny nodded. "Since the two of us were Master Builders by then, we put together a ship and abandoned the mission early to get Ben back to a hospital on Earth. We hoped he'd make a full recovery, so he could come back on the mission with us, but…"

"He ended up being mentally unfit to continue being an astronaut," Lenny finished.

Bad Cop frowned. "Mentally unfit? What's that supposed to mean?"

"He's not crazy," Kenny clarified. "Gosh, the number of times someone suggested that in Cloud Cuckoo Land… We're lucky Benny never heard anyone call him that. He wouldn't react well. But he's _unfit_. The oxygen loss did a number on him. You see his personality now… He's a _lot_ more hyper and excitable than before, more than he should be for serious missions."

"He's forgetful," Lenny added. "He doesn't remember most of our previous missions. Heck, he sometimes he doesn't remember his own _name_. Doesn't have the best grasp of time or distance now either."

"The wearing the broken suit all the time thing?" Kenny said. "Coping mechanism. He forgets he's on Earth and he might panic and forget to breathe if he's not wearing it. It doesn't help that he has Space Logic like the rest of us, having less gravity at times and whatever."

"You should have seen him in the hospital," Lenny groaned. "Especially before they managed to get him into a state of higher awareness. He was terrified of being alone to the point that he made an imaginary friend out of a mop..."

Good Cop cringed. "He still has the mop."

"Gosh, really?" Kenny sighed. "Maybe we should see him more often then, but it's just so hard to talk to him. All five of us are all about space, even after all this time, but he's _not_ the same person we knew him as, and we don't want to make it worse for him than it already is since _we_ still got to be astronauts and _he_ was forced into retirement."

"And you don't know how his helmet broke in the first place?" Bad Cop scowled at them. "That seems like it's important to know."

"We would have known if his companion robot were still around," Kenny answered. "But it was missing, and we didn't have time to look since we were busy trying to save Benny's life. The visor fell out sometime after he got back to Earth, at least. Lucky thing it didn't fall out while he was still in space, given that the actual helmet is cracked."

"But now it means he can keep the helmet on while on Earth with little problems in eating and breathing and whatever," Lenny nodded. "It's kind of cute that he does, but also _really_ sad."

Bad Cop pushed his hand under his sunglasses to rub his eyes. "This explains so much about him…"

"I wouldn't go sharing that information with anyone else, though," Kenny shrugged. "I don't know how he'd take it if everyone knew about it, especially if it made them treat him differently."

"So you better not treat him differently," Lenny affirmed, sending him a stern look.

"Of course," Good Cop agreed. "So… Did he never replace his spacesuit because he's not an astronaut anymore?"

"Right," Kenny answered. "The higher-ups at the time didn't want him getting into trouble with one. You know, they didn't want him to attempting to go back to space and meddling with projects or getting himself hurt somehow. He's aware enough of the broken helmet that he knows he can't use the suit in space, but they still needed to let him keep his old suit so he wouldn't go crazy."

Lenny chuckled and leaned back. "I don't think they realized he'd learn how to make his own spaceships so he could still go to space whenever he wanted, of course."

The conversation trailed off, and the three of them sat in silence in various poses, Lenny leaning back, Kenny curled forward, and Bad Cop sitting straight and frowning at the two spacemen. Eventually, Bad Cop stood up and went to the kitchenette where he looked through the food and kitchen equipment the others brought.

"What'cha doing?" Kenny asked, turning to look at him over the back of the chair.

"If they ask, you two came inside because it was too warm out there," Bad Cop answered. "And I came in to make everyone lunch."

"Let me get out of my spacesuit and into decent clothes and I'll help," Lenny offered.

"Same," Kenny said. "Y'know, Bad Cop, you aren't so bad after all now that you aren't trying to arrest us for something stupid like building things without instructions."

Good Cop smiled at him. "Maybe you should stop bringing that up and start helping with lunch."

"Right, sorry."

Sometime after they started making food, Penny came in and stared at them for a long moment.

"Well?" she finally asked.

"Told him about the accident," Kenny replied.

"Great. Blu just noticed you left. I'll tell them you're making lunch." She left again and then returned soon after with Jenny and Benny.

"We made sandwiches and lemonade," Good Cop told them, setting everything on the table.

"Sweet!" Benny grinned and took his seat at the table next to Good Cop and grabbed some of the food. "So does this mean you three aren't enemies now?"

"Nothing like making food together to make you not distrust a person," Lenny laughed.

"Seriously though, we should go see that band in the evening," Penny said. "Ten bucks they play 'Everything is Awesome' at least once."

Bad Cop groaned. "I hate that song…"

"Really?" Kenny asked, lifting his brow.

"You try having to listen to it every day for years," Bad Cop answered. "Just because I worked for President Business doesn't mean I liked the mindless music and television everyone else in Bricksburg liked."

"Instead you like police dramas like 'Throw the Brick at Him' that Benny apparently can figure out the end of before you," Jenny retorted, grinning.

Bad Cop scowled at Benny. "Did you tell her?"

"It's Jenny," Benny answered, smiling. "How can I not tell her?"

Penny nodded. "While you three were making lunch, Blu told us all about what you… Two…? Three...? What you guys have been up to."

Bad Cop pulled a face. Good Cop smiled. "Good things I hope?" he asked.

"I told them about how you broke your arm that one time," Benny giggled.

"I want to hear this," Kenny laughed, leaning closer.

Bad Cop groaned and grabbed a sandwich, deciding to ignore the conversation while they ate their lunch.


	6. Lullaby

_"So that's why he gets upset when you point out he's not in space,"_ Good Cop thought as he lay in bed that night.

_"Do you think he knows what happened to break his helmet?"_ Bad Cop asked.

_"I don't know if we should even ask,"_ Good Cop pointed out. _"What if he doesn't take it well?"_

_"He's already not taking it well. He still has that stupid mop as an imaginary friend."_

_"We should watch out for that, just in case…"_

Bad Cop groaned and sat up, doing his best to keep the bed from creaking. _"We're going to be thinking about this all night,"_ he thought, staring out the window into the blurry night.

He heard a creak behind him and glanced over, squinting as he watched Benny stir and holding his breath in hope he didn't wake him.

Benny sat up as well and rubbed his eye. "Cops?" he asked. "What are you still doing up?"

Good Cop smiled. "I'm just thinking… Go back to sleep."

Benny yawned and went over to Good Cop's side, leaning into him sleepily. "Can't sleep. You look weird without your glasses, by the way."

"Sit up for a moment," Bad Cop ordered. He then leaned over and picked up both pairs of glasses, putting them on one at a time. Good Cop smiled down at Benny. "Better?"

Nodding, Benny stared out the window, gazing up at the sky. "Cops, you know I'm not stupid, right?"

Good Cop frowned. "Benny, who said you were?"

"No one, just…" He yawned again. "I can take a guess what you were talking to Kenny and Lenny about."

"Oh…" Good Cop sighed. Bad Cop pursed his lips, watching Benny before saying anything. "How much do you remember about what happened?"

"More than I want to sometimes," Benny answered, sighing. "Sometimes not enough. I don't know why my helmet broke, but I know that it was really warm, really wet… Really painful… You know, if there's an oxygen leak in your suit, one of the things that happens is the saliva on your tongue boils?"

Good Cop winced. "I'm sorry…"

Benny shook his head. "But I lived, at least. But I… I almost didn't. I was _alone_ , and if they didn't find me in time, I… If they hadn't been able to build that spaceship… Y-You know, that's what got me so into spaceships to start with. That one they made to save me. It was the coolest thing I ever saw, and I wanted so badly to be able to build things like that. So when I got better, that's when I did everything I could to learn…"

Bad Cop sighed. "When you mentioned the last reunion you went to…"

"Jenny didn't go to it, so Penny and I could share a room," Benny answered. "Which was good because I didn't want to be alone and they know I don't like being alone. But no one knew how to talk to me about anything after what happened, and the entire thing was awkward and I didn't go to any after that, and eventually I had to stay on Cloud Cuckoo Land anyway."

"Would it have been better if we didn't go this time?" Good Cop asked.

Benny shook his head. "No, of course not. It might be awkward, but they're still my friends, and I don't get to see them enough. And besides, it's better that Kenny and Lenny told you about me, since I couldn't myself…" He slipped his arms around Good Cop and sighed. "But you know, as much as I wish I could have still been an astronaut, I can't complain about what happened."

"No?" Good Cop asked, pulling Benny into a hug.

"If it hadn't happened, I wouldn't have trained myself to be a Master Builder," Benny said, smiling. "And I wouldn't have helped save the world. And you and I wouldn't be friends."

Bad Cop frowned and pulled Benny off of him. "Get back in your bed."

Benny frowned. "Bad Cop…"

"Benny," Bad Cop replied, scowling. "Get back in bed."

Sighing, Benny went back to his bed, but looked up in surprise to see Bad Cop following him. Bad Cop sat on the edge of the bed and sighed.

"This doesn't leave the room," Bad Cop ordered. "No matter how much you want to gossip about me."

"I promise," Benny assured him.

Bad Cop closed his and took a deep breath. "Over In Killarney," he sang. "Many years ago… My Mother sang a song to me, in tones so sweet and low... Just a simple little ditty… In her good old Irish way... And I'd give the world to hear her sing… That song of hers today… Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li… Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, hush now don't you cry… Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li… Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, that's an Irish lullaby…"

Benny giggled and curled up in bed. "Good night, you dork."

Bad Cop frowned. "You're the one who wanted to know if I could sing."

"And I'm glad you can." Benny yawned and closed his eyes. "But you're still a dork."

Bad Cop rolled his eyes. "Whatever…" Good Cop smiled at him. "Good night, Benny."

"Good night, Cops."

He went back to his own bed, set his glasses down once more, and then fell asleep with ease.


	7. The Last Days

The next day, as they sat around to talk, Benny looked around at all of them and out of the blue asked "Can you guys tell me what it was like before the accident?"

Everyone looked at him in shock, then glanced to each other, and finally Jenny smiled at him.

"How much do you want to know?" she asked.

"Everything," he answered. "What I was like, what missions we went on, everything I don't remember."

"Are you sure, Blu?" Penny asked. "We don't want to… Y'know, make you uncomfortable."

Benny shook his head and smiled at them. "I want to know. I mean, I… I know I'm not… I'm not the same as back then, but we're still friends, and it's not fair that I forgot so much about all of this… I don't care if it makes me sad, I want you guys to tell me."

"Where do we start?" Kenny breathed out.

"Gosh, there's so much we can tell you," Lenny added.

"Start from the beginning, maybe?" Good Cop asked, leaning forward on his knees. "I'd like to hear this too."

Jenny nodded. "From the beginning, then."

They spent the rest of the reunion talking about the past, various things that Benny didn't remember, and everything that happened after the accident as well. By the time the last day came, the awkwardness at the beginning was long forgotten, and the five astronauts made plans to see each other again sometime in the future while Bad Cop packed up his and Benny's things.

Bad Cop glanced up to see Lenny and Kenny standing in the doorway, and Good Cop smiled and waved at them.

Kenny smiled and shook his head. "I don't know what you did, but…"

"Thanks for getting Benny to have us talk to him like that," Lenny finished.

Shaking his head, Bad Cop frowned at them. "I didn't do anything," he told them.

"I don't care if it was just you being in the same room as him," Kenny replied.

"This still went a lot better than it would have otherwise," Lenny surmised.

Bad Cop furrowed his brow, but shrugged at them. "You're welcome," Good Cop told them, slinging Benny's bag over his shoulder.

"Also, nice pink suitcase," Kenny added, laughing.

"Love the stickers," Lenny nodded.

Bad Cop scowled at them and hid his suitcase behind his back. "Shut up."

The two rushed out of the room and Bad Cop soon followed behind after ensuring he hadn't left something behind. As soon as he stepped out of the room, Penny pulled him into a hug and Good Cop quickly returned it before Bad Cop pushed her away.

"Keep taking care of Blu, alright?" she winked at him.

"I haven't done _anything_ ," Bad Cop insisted, scowling.

"Sure you haven't," she laughed. "He's waiting outside with Yellow. See you around."

Bad Cop sighed and left the cabin, spying Benny and Jenny a few yards away.

"I heard you have a cell phone now," Jenny asked Benny.

He nodded. "Yep! The Cops gave it to me."

She nodded as well. "My number's 867-5309. Call me sometime, Blu. Either just to talk or for relationship advice with your cop friend."

Benny scrunched up his face. "What would I need relationship advice for?"

"You know, just in case." She pulled him into a hug. "Take care of yourself, buddy. It was great seeing you again."

"You too," Benny answered. He looked over at Bad Cop and waved him over. "Got everything?" he asked.

Bad Cop nodded. "Yes. Are you ready to go?"

"Ready whenever you are," Benny beamed. "Thanks so much for coming with me."

"You're welcome," he answered. "It was… Better than I thought it'd be."

Jenny held out her hand for him to shake, which he gratefully accepted. She then held out her arms and Good Cop gave her a hug. "You and Benny better have great stories whenever you go to space together," she told him. "It was wonderful meeting you, by the way."

"It was great to meet you and the others as well," Good Cop agreed. "Benny, we should get going now."

"Alright." Benny hugged Jenny one last time. "Bye, Jenny."

"Bye," she answered, waving as the two of them went back to the car.

Bad Cop loaded the trunk and then slipped into the driver's seat and buckled up. He waited for Benny to put on his seatbelt and then started the car and pulled out onto the road.

"Bad Cop?" Benny asked.

"Yeah…?"

"Could you sing me more songs on the way home?"

Bad Cop cringed, letting out a long groan. "Fine…"


End file.
